Is My Solar System Actually Working? 5 Signs It's Not

You spent $25,000 or more on solar panels. Your installer promised you'd save hundreds every month on electricity. But how do you actually know if that's happening?

The uncomfortable truth is that most homeowners have no idea whether their solar system is performing well. The monitoring apps from SolarEdge and Enphase show you kilowatt-hours produced — but they never tell you if that number is good or bad for your system.

Sign #1: Your Electric Bills Are Higher Than Expected

This seems obvious, but many homeowners chalk up higher bills to changing utility rates or increased usage. If your bills are consistently higher than what your installer projected, your system may be underperforming.

Sign #2: Your Production Drops Suddenly

A sudden drop in production — say 30% or more from one month to the next — usually indicates a hardware failure, like a microinverter going out or a string inverter error. These failures often go unnoticed for months.

Sign #3: Summer Production Isn't Much Higher Than Winter

In most of the US, solar production should be 2-3x higher in summer than winter. If your summer and winter numbers are similar, something is likely wrong — shading from new tree growth, a failed panel, or an inverter issue.

Sign #4: Your Monitoring App Shows Error Codes

Most homeowners ignore the notifications from their inverter app. But error codes like "DC voltage too low" or "isolation fault" mean your system isn't producing at full capacity. Every day you ignore these alerts costs you money.

Sign #5: Your System Produces Zero on Sunny Days

If your monitoring shows zero production on a clear sunny day, your system has a critical failure. This could be a tripped breaker, a failed inverter, or a wiring issue. The longer this goes unaddressed, the more money you lose.

What Can You Do About It?

The first step is knowing whether your system is actually performing well. SolarDoctor compares your actual production against what your system should produce based on its size, location, and time of year. It gives you a simple health score from 0-100, so you instantly know if something needs attention.

It's free, takes 2 minutes to set up, and works with any SolarEdge system.